Chapter 17

Unspoken Desires - Chapter 17

Sareena

I was still standing in the same place Damian left me. He had just put me down and walked out. Without saying a single word.

Left me to go to the man who kidnapped me. Tortured me. Had sexually assaulted me. The man who left me afraid of my own shadow.

I didn’t know how long I stood there. Could’ve been minutes. Could’ve been an hour.

When the door finally opened, I jerked in fear, thinking Matteo was coming for me. But it was Gabby. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close.

“Sareena, snap out of it,” she said firmly. “I know you’re scared, and you’re probably dealing with some wicked PTSD, but right now, we need to work with Matteo to save your Nono and your sister.”

She led me to sit on the edge of the bed. I didn’t resist. I couldn’t.

“Damian can’t be Damian here,” she continued. “He has to show strength. He has to show control. Everyone is watching for any sign of weakness.”

She knelt in front of me, her tone shifting; softer, but still steady. “If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have sent me in here to calm you down.”

Her grip on my hands tightened just a little. “Sareena, we’re not at home being carefree. We’re in enemy territory, working with the enemy to save the people we all love. So snap out of it.”

Then her voice hardened. “You can’t ruin this mission. If this is too much for you, then you need to go home. All those people out there are risking their lives to save Sophia, Gino, Alexandra, and Mrs. Cattaneo. We all have to focus. You decide, but I need to get out there to hear what they’re discussing.”

Gabriella started to stand up, but I grabbed her hand before she could leave.

“I’m coming with you,” I said quietly. “But please… don’t leave my side. I can do this. My therapist says I need to face my past traumas.”

She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. Without another word, we stood and hugged. Long and tight, like we both needed the strength.

Together, we walked toward the rec room.

Matthew

Vasiliev Lebedev. He’s Svetlana’s dad?

The man who raped my mother, so brutally. I can still hear her screams. The man who put a bullet in both my parents and walked out of the house laughing.

My first kill… was Svetlana’s dad?

Pieces start falling into place. Now I know why she wanted Sophia to kill me in exchange for help with Damian.

I glance at Damian. He’s realized it too. He’s so locked in, he doesn’t even notice that Sareena and Gabby have joined us.

“Do you know them or something?” Matteo asks, catching the shift immediately.

Vincent and Maximus both shake their heads. The rest are quiet. Everyone is watching me, waiting for something to break.

I nod toward Damian. He’ll have to tell them. I still can’t.

“Yeah, we know the fucking piece of shit,” Damian says through clenched teeth. “Vasiliev Lebedev is the guy who killed Matthew’s parents. He’s the reason Matthew joined the Familia, joined my family. Matt and I killed him together.” He exhales hard. “That explains why Svetlana’s after Matthew. She must know.”

My blood’s boiling. Mikhail Bocharov is still out there. He escaped the police. Took millions. But more than that, he got away from me.

“I want to see him,” I snap. The anger cuts straight through.

“You can have Uncle Smirnoff whenever you want,” Matteo replies, unfazed. “But you may need him as a bargaining chip with the bitch. Bring everyone back safely, and we can roast him on an open flame in the middle of the fucking Strip for all I care.”

I know he’s right. I have to wait. But no matter what happens, I’ll kill him this time.

I sink down into the chair, the weight of it all crashing over me. My fists are still tight, jaw locked, breath shallow.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

Vasiliev. Svetlana. Mikhail.

Damian

“Okay, let’s give Matt a minute,” I say, forcing everyone’s attention off him. He needs space. And if we keep staring, he’ll implode.

“So, let’s recap everything we’ve put together.”

“One—Svetlana has been targeting Matt and me for months that we know of. But probably since the day she found out we killed her dad. That explains why she hung around our clubs, dated Franco, and intercepted our drug shipments.”

“That explains why she reached out to Sophia,” Maximus cuts in. “And tried to help her destroy you, Matt, and Sareena. It also explains why she was so cruel to Sophia.”

We all nod, letting it sink in.

“Two—she reached out to you, Matteo, because she knew you were tracking Sareena and Sophia. Probably made it sound like she wanted to help.”

“I never spoke to her directly,” Matteo replies casually. “All our communication went through Maria and Alessandro. That’s when I sent Cesare to New York to track all of you.” He says it like he’s reading off a grocery list. “He planted the bomb at the warehouse where Gabriella and Maximus were taken.”

“That’s when he ghosted me,” Lessia says, her voice a little stronger now. “All I got was a text saying he was going undercover. Wouldn’t be back for months. I didn’t know he went to New York, or I would’ve called you guys.” She says as she looks at Vincent like she owes him an explanation.

“That’s around the time you came to work for me,” Matteo says. “Your first day was the same day the bomb went off. Who sent you? I only told Alessandro I needed an assistant, and he found you immediately.”

“Mrs. De Luca,” Lessia replies. “She said I needed to watch you because you were still so heartbroken over Marcella. I jumped at the chance because I heard you had Sareena and I couldn’t find another way to get to you.”

Matteo doesn’t respond. But his silence says enough.

“Three—after we got back from Vegas, Miguel didn’t want anyone knowing what was happening,” I say, eyes flicking to Sareena. “Not the truce with the Familia. Not about Lessia and Demetrius being spies. And not even that he asked Sophia to stay in Sareena’s place.”

I try not to let my voice falter. Try not to notice how stiff Sareena goes beside me.

“You think your dad suspected something? He didn’t even tell his inner circle.”

Matteo just shakes his head.

“Four—we know weapons and drug shipments are being intercepted through Vegas. The ones meant for the Familia and the Outfit. But none of the Camorra shipments are stopping. So whoever the traitor is… they’re loyal to the Camorra. Just not to you or your dad.”

I push forward. Keep it moving.

“Five—with the plans Matthew brought back, we know the traitor is watching Sophia, Mrs. Cattaneo, and Sareena. The kidnapping was planned and timed perfectly. The shooting at the café was meant to kill Gabriella, so the Familia would lose focus. And we know the letter Svetlana left for Sareena was meant to lure her here, to join her sister in captivity.”

“Six—Cesare and his loyal Gumba’s are working with Svetlana,” Matteo adds. “But if he is… and so are the De Lucas… then why is he trying to get me to shift my focus to them? Is a rift forming?”

“Maria and Alessandro don’t get along at all,” Demetrius says. “They put on a public front, but behind closed doors, it’s brutal. More her than him, but their kid’s stuck in the middle.”

“I’ve had to grab the boy a few times and get him out, before things got worse.”

“She’s a fucking bitch,” Matteo mutters. “Always reminding me that no matter who I found, she could never compare to Marcella.”

It’s all clicking now. Every move, every name, every betrayal and it’s circling around the same storm.

“She also doesn’t like me or Sophia. She was happy when she found out my mom was dead. And didn’t want Alessandro to form any kind of a relationship with me. Practically pulled him out of the hotel room where Matteo was holding me.” Sareena says. Her voice barely a whisper.

Listening to all of this, remembering everything that’s happened. I start to piece together a plan.

But I’m going to need everyone.